Alabama Shakes at the AMP on Friday

There is a lot of excitement building for this weekend, and in this case, it’s not because it’s finally football season. (Although, make no mistake. We do love our Razorbacks.) It’s Friday, Sept. 6 that people are looking forward to because the Alabama Shakes with special guest Fly Golden Eagle will take the stage at the Arkansas Music Pavilion, located at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Fayetteville.

Gates open at 6 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $38.50 in advance, $41.50 day of show and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 479-443-5600 or visiting www.amptickets.com.

A fast-rising rock band from Athens, Alabama, Alabama Shakes consists of vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, drummer Steve Johnson and bassist Zac Cockrell. Their distinctive sound has been described in myriad ways, including blues-rock and retro-soul. According to lead singer Howard, “retro soul is not what we’re going for, though it’s understandable why people say it,” adding “we take inspiration from that, but we all understand Black Sabbath, too. On the record, we left a lot of room for whatever we want to do in the future.” Regardless of their official genre, their music has drawn in a deluge of fans both young and old.

TheNew York Times described Alabama Shakes as “a thunderbolt dressed in blue jeans” with music that’s “aching when it’s slow and growling and whooping when it’s fast.” NPR named them one of the best bands of 2011, while MTV called them one of the top bands to look for in 2012. They were also named Best Touring Band at the Pollstar Awards, Emerging Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Association’s Honors and Awards ceremony and nominated for three Grammy® Awards in 2013. Their debut album, Boys & Girls, bowed in the Top 20 on TheBillboard 200 and at No. 1 on the Independent Label chart and officially marked their arrival as a major new rock and roll band. Their most popular hit “Hold On” was voted the #1 Best Song of 2012 by Rolling Stone and “Always Alright” is included prominently in the Oscar®-nominated film, “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Out of Nashville, Tennessee, Fly Golden Eagle is has been described as an electronic-pop/psych-funk garage band. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Ben Trimble, keyboardist Mitch Jones, bass guitarist Rick Alessio and drummer Richard Harper. Fly Golden Eagle creates catchy riffs and addictively sweeping beats that go beyond the typical pop song. With clever and candid lyrics and unabashed exuberance, Fly Golden Eagle is a band on the rise. They are currently touring in support of their latest album Swagger, which includes songs such as “Psyche’s Dagger” and “Violet Crown.”